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Five Earths - Timeline (2013 July)
This is the timeline of the Five Earths, All in a Row setting of 2013 July. (1941 on Earth-2, 1879 on Earth-3, 1556 on Earth-4, and 515 CE/1268 AUC on Earth-5) <-2013 June; 2013 August-> July 1 Apollo 20 takes off from the Moon, returns to Earth with Apollo 21. Independence Day celebrations in Dp-Washington, D. C. are attended by Captain America, and several other patriotic heroes and heroines, including Diana, Princess of the Amazons, who is dubbed 'Wonder Woman' by the press. July 2 Apollo 20 and 21 land at Johnson Space Center. On Fa-Earth, a primitive steam engine, build by British Gnomes from descriptions given by Arthur's ambassadors on the three most advanced Earths, fails to explode over a week of intermittent work, the first attempt that is so successful. Plans are made to use it, once moved, to pump out a flooded iron mine near Blestium, in the Silurian petty kingdom of Gwent, Britannia Prima. July 4 As part of the Independence Day celebrations in Inp-USA, the first of the refitted OV-100A Space Shuttles, Enterprise, rolls out of the hanger before a huge crowd, to the tune of Jerry Goldsmith's 'The Enterprise'. Much joyful cheering and crying ensues, from Shuttle and Star Trek fans, alike (including many from the surviving main casts of the various series, who are on hand for the ceremony). While there are a number of small changes to her aerodynamics and engine nozzels, by far the most striking are the new 'Auxiliary Equipment Bays'. These modules start just below the cargo bay doors, and continue down at a shallow angle to end a maximum of seven metres along the wing, partially blending wing to body. The contents of the AEBs are currently classified, which immediately leads to many of the public designating them 'missile bays', 'weapons bays', or 'photon torpedo launchers'. Later that same day, the shuttle taxis out to the runway, takes off, and goes into orbit, shortly thereafter docking with the International Space Station. A popular Youtube video of the launch sets it to the tune of Jerry Goldsmith's Leaving Drydock. July 5 In orbit of Inp-Earth, the Space Shuttle Enterprise deploys a new module to the ISS: a custom TransHab module from Bigelow Aerospace, with further tubes extending from the far end, terminating in docking units. In Inp-UK, all four Handley Page Victors have been converted to Victor*s. In Dsp-Switzerland, at a hotel in Geneva, a meeting of the leaders or representatives of fourteen different Secret Societies or other conspiracies (most of whom did not know several of the others existed, or thought they were extinct) ends in tragedy, as a gas leak kills everyone in the conference room, despite all precautions. Just as planned... but by whom? July 7 Captain Suzanna Andreivna IvanovaSuzanna Andreivna Ivanova counterpart?, Soviet Air Force, defects to Dp-UK (on the condition that she and her squadronmates can continue to fly in combat; Churchill doesn't like it, but they need the pilots - and need the Axis to not have them) with an experimental long range bomber, escorting fighter-bombers (with fuel tanks replacing their bomb loads), and a few British PoWs, including a suave young RN Lieutenant. Orbiting Inp-Earth, the Enterprise undocks from the ISS, and proceeds with the next phase of her mission: a trip to the moon, escorted by Apollo Flight (who rendezvous with her a few hundred metres from the station, to allow the station's cameras a good view of them entering formation). In Stp-British Guiana, the astronef Atropos is launched for Dsp-Earth, planned to arrive in early October. July 8 In a debate about the 'Mutant Issue' ('mutant' being a common-but-inaccurate term for people physically changed by the Event (see February 19th), and also being applied to anyone with powers, over the protests of many who prefer other terms) during a joint session of the Inp-US Congress, Representative Michele Bachmann (R-MN) suggests registering mutants, and moving them into their own communities, away from 'normal' people; these are immediately compared to the concentration camps on Dp-Earth by Senator John McCain (R-AZ). This sort of clash between Republicans is not uncommon on the Mutant Issue, nor are similar clashes between Democrats, as neither party has been able to form a consistent policy on the matter. Glenn Beck, speaking in support of Bachmann, cites a U.S. Court of International Trade case from 2003, in which a judge ruled that mutant superheroes 'the X-Men' were not human (and thus, that X-Men action figures were subject to the tariffs for toys, rather than those for dolls, which were higher). This really doesn't help his side. Apollo Flight and the Enterprise arrive in orbit of Inp-Luna. The Shuttle and Apollos 19 and 21 land on the far side of the moon, as part of the testing phase of Project Athena, while Apollos 18 and 20 deploy four small communication satellites in Lunar orbit. July 9 In Inp-UK, two Victor*s leave for the Moon. In Inp-Canada, the MoD announces that the Canadian military will be switching back to traditional ranks and insignia, as used in WWII, and as current on Dp-Earth. Despite this, Dp-Canada chooses not to scrap plans to swap out their pips for maple leaves over the course of the next year, though they have no intention of dropping the Red Ensign or Blue Ensign, and encourage Inp-Canada to restore some versions of both. In Dp-Germany, Albrecht Krieger becomes Captain Nazi. In Dp-London, Captain Ivanova and her squadron are inducted into the Imperial Russian Air Force (flying with the RAF), by the Russian Imperial Government-in-Exile, and are personally welcomed by Tsarina Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia. July 10 The Victor*s arrive at Inp-Luna, rendezvousing with Apollo Flight, and take turns landing on the makesift landing pad the astronauts have cleared, before delivering construction and other supplies to Dark Side Moon Base. On Dp-Earth, the Überschwerer Kampfschreitpanzer (Superheavy Armored Walking Tank) makes its combat debut in North Africa. The British, after some initial surprise, are less than totally impressed, and the desert environment is found to be detrimental to the vehicles' function. July 12 At Inp-Vandenberg two squat, oval cross-section fusion-impulse rockets are launched. Upon reaching orbital velocity, the main bodies of the rockets split open, each revealing a pair of exo-atmoshperic vehicles, closely resembling the Starfuries of the Babylon 5 television series, with some modifications: the large paddles on the rear engines are absent, and the weapon modules are designed to be easily hot-swappable with various tools. These Starfuries dock automatically with the new module on the ISS, while the rockets close up, and return to Vandenberg. July 13 On Steampunk Earth, Pope Clement XV receives a letter which has arrived through a most circuitous route: The message comes from Elizabeth, High Queen of the Britons on Clp-Earth, and was given by her junior Secretary to the Arthurian ambassador to her court, who read it to a scribe on Fa-Earth, who showed it to Arthur, and with the High King's permission, read it to the Arthurian ambassador to the court of Queen Victoria on Stp-Earth; that worthy gave a copy to the Foreign Office's Assistant Under-Secretary for Earth-D (Stp-Earth term for Fantasy Earth), who passed it to the Foreign Secretary, who showed it to the Prime Minister - who after a brief discussion with HM the Queen, directed the Foreign Secretary to include a copy of the letter in the next diplomatic postal-rocket to the Papal States. From there, the British ambassador to the Papal States personally delivered the missive to His Holiness. The letter indicates that some of the passengers & crew of the Sanctus Christopherus (a list of their names is helpfully appended) were brought to England by fish (?) employed by Her Majesty, and that others were also rescued, by other countries, including the Romans. She also indicates that she has had interesting conversations with them, and that while England will remain English, some Catholic nations under her regiment might convert from Borgian Catholicism to Clementine Catholicism. It should perhaps be noted that each of these Earths uses a different form of Latin from the other two (Stp-Latin and Clp-Latin are very similar, but aren't communicating directly), and neither Clp-Earth nor Stp-Earth are perfectly familiar with the form in use on Fa-Earth. Clement is mildly impressed that it's as clear as it is. July 15 A group of alchemists (all of them Mass Effect fans) in Infopunk Brazil develop what amounts to the fictional 'Element Zero' from that series. As with Sakuradite (see June 20th), mass production will not happen soon. Tests on enhanced drones by DARPA determine the annoying fact that Uncrewed Combat Vehicles often become 'unlucky' when not accompanied by crewed vehicles, or otherwise having a person nearby. Interestingly, enhanced vehicles with crews (at least one pilot/driver) are already believed to be 'luckier' than unenhanced vehicles, and this, more and more, appear to be true. On Inp-Luna, Dark Side Moon Base is put into automatic mode, and the Enterprise, Apollo Flight, and the two Victor*s return home. July 16 At Inp-Edwards Space Force Base, Enterprise and her escorts fly over in formation, and then land one at a time. The Victor*s will remain in the US for only a few hours, before leaving to deliver unidentified priority cargo to the Inp-UK. On Clp-Earth, the 'Eastern Roman Empire' (more accurately, the Venetian Republic with a few offices and such renamed, and a mostly-but-not-totally figurehead Emperor) officially converts to (Greek) Orthodox Christianity. With rather more reluctance, the Military Hospitaller Order of St. John of Rhodes also converts, and officially brings their islands into the Empire as a rather autonomous theme (province), with the position of proconsul explicitly tied to the Grand Master of the Order (currently Jean Parisot de Valette, a little earlier than in our history). The conversion of the Hospitallers is almost as much a protest against the Borgia family's continuing control over the Papacy, as it is the need for closer relations with Venice (and thus, greater protection from the neighboring Ottoman Empire). July 17 Helium Atmospheric Extractions Ltd. founded on Inp-Earth. The company works by telekinetically extracting and compressing atmospheric helium through various methods, mostly using unmanned high-altitude hydrogen balloons, as well as some sea level and mountaintop experimental stations. While they make very little profit now (all of which is reinvested in the company), that is expected to change in or soon after 2015. Queen Elizabeth II grants Royal Assent to an Act of Parliament legalizing gay marriage in England and Wales (and specifically, the Church of England and the Church in Wales), much to the shock and horror of many people on Earth Two and Earth Three. A similar Bill will be considered in Scotland's devolved Parliament in September, leading many on the aforementioned other Earths to offer support for Scottish Independence, conditional on that Bill's cancellation or failure. July 20 On Dp-Earth, teenager Davey Drew accidentally releases a demon into the mortal world. On Inp-Earth, tests on the Starfighter-upgraded SF-16H/J Millenium Falcon prototypes determine that while faster, more durable, and more accurate than expected, the enhanced fighters are complete hangar queens. It is hoped that the SF-15F Space Eagle will be less breakdown-prone. July 22 In Clp-Rome, Pope Leo X receives news of the clearly planned simultaneous conversion of the Venetians and the Hospitallers, and of the latter joining the Empire that the Pope refuses to call 'Roman'. To say that he is 'not pleased' would be to understate the case immensely, but he is well aware that he lacks the political support to call for a Crusade against these heretics. July 23 On Dp-Earth, a German attempt to attack the factories in London with submersible drill-tanks fails badly: Half the tanks drown in the Channel, about three-fourths of the remainder break down without reaching the surface, two end up causing a pair of underground cities to decide to pay attention to the surface world again, and the last eight surface more-or-less together, quite far from their targets, right in the face of a squadron of Crusader tanks on training manoeuvers outside Dorking. The subsequent Battle of Dorking is an overwhelming British victory, due in no small part to the fact that the the submersible drill-tanks are far better drills, or even submersibles, than tanks (and they were unable to get to any hills big and steep enough to drill into to get back underground, nor were they capable of tilting enough to inter themselves without needing a sufficiently large and steep hill). July 27 On Inp-Earth, the Romanian component of the European Combined Space Forces orbits the first MiG-21 StarlanceR. In Inp-San Francisco, first official meeting of the Order of Hermes occurs (with guest observers from some other groups of empowered Mage: the Ascension fans, Tradition, Technocracy, and 'Other'). In Dp-Germany, production is stopped in the Messerschmitt Me-163 Komet, due to the aircraft's many flaws. July 31 In Inp-UK, Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford becomes Chief of the Aerospace Staff, and is promoted to Marshal of the Royal Aerospace Force. In Inp-USA, tests on the SF-15F Space Eagle are quite successful: while the Space Eagle does not demonstrate quite the speed of the Millenium Falcon, it does possess excellent endurance, and lacks the 'hangar queen' tendencies of the Falcon. References and Notes Category:Timelines Category:Fanwork